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The White Stripes B-Sides a Discussion

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I’ve been listening to the White Stripes lately and while they’re albums are well known bangers with very few skips(looking at you, Aluminum). I think that their B-Sides deserve some special attention. So, for today’s post, I’m going to be reviewing them. I will be excluding live versions of already recorded songs.

It’s My Fault For Being Famous– From the Conquest EP, this is the start of Jack White feeling itchy about being famous and rich. This one showcases him being constantly assaulted by people and he’s not allowed to defend himself based on his fame. No matter how much at fault the other people are. It’s a fun little acoustic number in the same line as Hotel Yorba, jaunty and upbeat. And whose that coming in on background vocals? Why not other than Beck.

Cash Grab Complications on the Matter– Thanks to the keyboard sounds on this one, it has a 60s psychedelic feel to it. This reminds me of early Stripes where it’s not perfect sound wise. Still if you’re looking for something fun and experimental, check this one out.

Honey, We Can’t Afford to Look This Cheap– Something else that Jack White put into a lot of his songs is the way that men take from women but don’t offer that much. This song is about a man trying to fulfill his dreams while his partner has to suffer for it. The line “We might have to sell your long hair/I don’t mind you wearing a wig/But I won’t steal”. They’re living above their means and he knows it. It’s all a gamble and she has to chauffeur him around so that people think that he’s rich. It’s the pleadings of a selfish man and he sells it in his vocals. A hidden gem.

Shelter Of Your Arms- This one took me by surprise, I had never actually listened to it before. Immediately, it didn’t sound like Jack’s lyrics. I investigated and found out that it was a Greenhornes song. Jack has a way of covering bands that he likes to put their music out there. This is a faithful cover to the original, which has a deep blues sound. Perfect for the Stripes.

Who’s A Big Baby?– If you’ve been thinking that I’ve been too nice in my reviews, you’re getting a treat. I didn’t care for this song in my youth and while it’s grown on me, I would say that this is one of my least favorite White Stripes songs. You’re still the worst, Aluminum. I always love a song where Meg gets to take center stage and sing but this one distorts her normally gentle voice and buries under effects. While it has some fun marimba playing, it could be better.

Though I Hear Your Calling, I Will Not Answer– This song feels like a culmination of everything that Jack learned during the making of Get Behind Me Satan. It’s a weird little song like Who’s a Big Baby but it feels more finished than that song. With its repetitive lyrics I would say it’s also the most classic Blues song that he’s written. Kind of like It’s All In Your Mind by Beck where he just repeats the same lyric over and over again.

St. Ides of March– Another cover song this one originally by the Soledad Brothers. Just Jack playing some good guitar and good drums. Jack’s giving a great vocal performance as well. Sometimes a song is just good without needing too much explanation.

Who’s to Say(Blanche cover)- See previous entry.

Good To Me(Brendan Benson cover)– This is getting hard because these are just straightforward covers of these songs. For this one, I would say that it’s almost as good as the original but Brendan does a little more with his version. They’re both very good. You might notice that I’ve started adding the original artist in a parentheses. Why didn’t I go back and do the others? Because I need to live with my mistakes. It’s why I don’t edit my books. I just shout at a speech to text translator and post.

Black Jack Davey(Traditional)– This sounds like a Dylan song. Let me quick check to see if he also covered it. I’m back, he did. Jack comes down on those strings with the precision of a sewing machine. It’s a great song and one of my favorite B-sides.

Candy Cane Children– A very early White Stripes song and their Christmas song. If you like their self titled you’ll like this. So, I do. Plus, it doesn’t sound like most Christmas songs which seem to be okay just kind of sounding like every other Christmas song.

Reading of the Story of the Magi/Silent Night- Jack reads the story of the Magi while Meg sings Silent Night and they argue about the lyrics. Just a fun little look into their lives, I think. On a personal note, Dragula by Rob Zombie started playing randomly after this song finished. It was quite the whiplash.

Lovesick(Bob Dylan cover)- One of my favorite, most dramatic Dylan songs covered by one of the most dramatic bands that I’ve ever listened to. A winner on all counts.

Rated X(Loretta Lynn cover)– I’m pretty sure that this was recorded at the Hotel Yorba as it’s the B-side for the Hotel Yorba single. Good acoustic cover and you get some nice Meg background vocals.

Walking With a Ghost(Tegan and Sara cover)– This one was it’s own EP but is not available on Spotify for some reason. Unlike the original this one is an electric version and Jack is really giving it with the falsetto on this one.

Lord, Send Me an Angel(Blind Willie McTell cover)– A simple blues cover that has some tailor made for Detroit lyrics. I’ve heard people say that it’s weird for a white man to cover a black man’s blues song. I don’t know particularly which one is right. I think that considering Jack was always vocal about his love for blues artists and helped bring attention to them. I want to think it’s for the best but I can understand the other side of it.

Red Death at 6:14– Another early Stripes jam that didn’t quite make the cut. Showcases their experimentation with parts of the song where Meg just sings “la, la, la” and then cuts into a Jack White solo. Pretty fun song overall.

Hand Springs- Showcasing Jack White’s storytelling. He is playing a pretty subdued riff and then solos in between the verses. Tells the tale of Jack getting jealous at a bowling alley. Good song. Probably one of my favorite White Stripes songs in the entire catalog.

That was all the songs and I think you can just check out any of them. They’re all good. And in the ned, fuck you, Aluminum. You’re a bad song.

The First Ten Albums of the Year

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So, if you’ve followed this blog from last year, I try and listen to at least 100 albums I’ve never listened to before. I didn’t have time to break down my feelings on each one so I decided to break them up into ten articles as I get through them. So, here are the first ten.

  1. Charli XCX- Brat

I’ve never been to the club but I feel like this is what it would feel like. Fun, upbeat, sexy, but with a certain sadness when you get into the dark corners and the lights start to dim at the end of the night. Charli brings the attitude along with her talent on every song. The only reason I don’t remember the songs better than I do is because I listened to this on New Year’s Day after a wild night of making tacos and going to bed early. A solid album.

2. Jeff Buckley- Grace

A classic album and for a reason. There’s nothing but heartfelt vulnerability here and of course, the career defining cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. They talk about fidelity and ideal ways to listen to albums. I feel like the way I’m supposed to listen to this album is while I’m comforting Jeff Buckley and he’s singing into a microphone on my chest while he cries.

3. Simon and Garfunkel- Bridge Over Troubled Water

Look at these two nerds that sing like angels. This is a well worn sweater of an album with finger picking that sounds like a mountain stream and vocal harmonies that would make the Beach Boys envious. The two are masters and this is them at the height of their power.

4. Beth May- Sunday Scaries

I knew Beth May from her work with Dungeons and Daddies and checked out her poetry book, The Immortal Soul Salvage-Yard. I listened to that album because I knew that I wanted to hear the poetry as Beth thought it should be. These poems are expert wordplay on top of heartbreaking topics such as womanhood and mental health and how the two intertwine and both cause damage.

5. and 6. Sebadoh- Bakesale and Secret EP

I was out for a walk and listened to these two back to back. The first bakesale was released in 1994 and is just some good solid 90s grunge-y rock. Great riffs and arrangements all the way through. Nearly twenty years later we get the Secret EP that shows that the band has grown and embraced modern influences but still has that grunge ethos along for the ride. Good to hear just some normal guitar rock.

7. Bjork- Debut

Okay this one has to come with a disclaimer. I really liked it. But I’m a bit weird and Bjork’s very weird and we kind of clicked that way. It’s a really good album. But it’s really weird. Just give it a shot. Please. Do it for Bjork.

8. Garbage- Not Your Kind of People

Shirley Manson is going to go down as one of the most underrated singers of our generation. She has consistently put out solid work with Garbage. She embraces the outsider but unlike others who use that as a reason to be turn away from the mainstream, she stands in defiance of it. She truly doesn’t sound like she gives a shit about me. The eponymous song tells me that’s exactly it. Synth rock/pop for those that love good music.

9. Beck- The Information

Fuck. I really wanted to like this album. Both when it first came out and now. Age didn’t help it. The thing is that if this was any other band, it would be amazing. But this is Beck. Odelay. Sea Change. Guero. Midnite Vultures. Mutations. All of them, solid, solid albums. So, that’s why this one left me kind of cold. Sorry, buddy. You’re still my favorite, Beck.

10. The Hives- Barely Legal

Do you like bratty punk rock? Do you like fun songs? Do you like bands playing as fast as they can? That’s what this album is. It’s the intro to what would eventually be an amazing run of albums.